The Jewish Federation’s Los Angeles Jewish Teen Initiative, also known as LAJTI, hosted its inaugural “Building Resilience in Teens: A Wellness Conference for Parents and Educators” on April 29 at the Luxe Hotel.

Former Stanford University Dean of Freshmen Julie Lythcott-Haims gave the keynote speech at the Jewish Federation’s education conference. (photo courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles)

Over 250 parents, educators and mental health professionals attended the conference, which featured expert-led workshops and presentations on issues affecting parents, teens and their relationships. Stress is a pervasive element in teens’ lives for a multitude of reasons.

The LAJTI focuses on teen wellness and supporting teens holistically. Through dialogue, workshops, training and funding for programs, LAJTI offers parents, educators and teens opportunities to discover how the Jewish community can provide resources and relationships that fortify teens’ emotional, spiritual and physical health, and help teens find balance, joy and meaning in their lives.

“We are extremely proud of our federation’s innovative work in the area of teen wellness,” said Jay Sanderson, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. “We empower parents and teens and their emotional, physical and mental well-being. Our Los Angeles Jewish Teen Initiative is accomplishing this goal and engaging thousands of teens and their families across Los Angeles.”

Julie Lythcott-Haims, former Stanford University dean of freshmen, gave the keynote speech at the conference.

“Like it or not, our job as parents is to put ourselves out of a job,” Lythcott-Haims said. “We’ve succeeded when our adult children can fend for themselves.”

Shira Rosenblatt, senior vice president of Jewish education and engagement for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, said teen wellness is an important subject that need exploration.

“We knew that if we were creating a multifaceted Jewish teen initiative to change the landscape in L.A., teen wellness had to be at the foundation of our work,” Rosenblatt said. “We strive to inspire, connect and provide resources for parents, educators and teens that help our teens live more balanced, healthy and fulfilled lives.”

The conference was supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation, Cedars- Sinai Medical Center and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.